Nothing Lasts
by brillantbutscary
Summary: Orion Black has hated his perfect cousin Cygnus all his life. When their families pressure them together, will they tear eachother apart or will they have to learn to work with eachother? Warning: Incest, slash... Rated M for future chapters. (Orion/Cygnus Black)


**Author's Note:** This is he first chapter of my story for the tenth round of the QLFC Competition. I chose the pairing: _Orion and Cygnus Black_ and these are my prompts:

Main Prompt: A relationship between family members.

 _[_ _We realise that incest isn't something everyone would necessarily be comfortable with. But, we're not talking 'next of kin' family per se. It could be second cousin twenty-eight times removed if you wanted it to be xD, just as long as it remained in the 'forbidden' kind of range. And you know, there's always long lost relatives you may not know even exist… you get the picture :) (If you really are uncomfortable with it then PM me and we can sort something out)_ _]_

 _Other Prompts:_ 1\. (quote) 'Never, ever allow yourself to feel. Feelings kill.' - Malorie Blackman, _Knife Edge_

10\. (dialogue) "What do you want from me?"

Let us begin!

" _What do you want from me?"I ask, my voice coated with nervousness, my face distraught and afraid. I already know the answer and I dread every letter of it._

" _I want you, my perfect cousin, that's all I've ever wanted... You know that..." He replies, holding my suddenly rigid body, as if he wants to comfort me... To save me from the tears he knows I will shed... I can feel them forming in my dark eyes., but I hold them back._

" _Cygnus... I marry tomorrow... Please, don't..." Is this how he wants me? Begging like a small child in pain?_

 _Our eyes meet, his electric blue orbs against my empty black ones... Oh how they used to entice me, so alive and beautiful... But now... Now they reflect my own sorrow, lifeless even in the flickering light coming from the fireplace._

 _He slowly, tentatively leans forward, his lips inches from mine...Waiting... Asking for the permission he knows I cannot give. I push him away, not daring to look up, to see the life that his eyes still had go out, snuffed by my selfishness._

" _Go." I whisper, my voice hoarse and shaky._

 _Not saying a word, he stands,his warmth leaving my body, to be replaced by an icy feeling of self-loathing, sending shivers down my spine._

 _I can hardly breath as I hear his voice, a distant sob whispering the three words that ruined me in the first place: "I love you."_

 _The door clicks shut and and I break down into a sobbing, dejected heap of regret, my brain feeding of 'what ifs' and old memories._

 **~0~**

 _ **I remember...**_

 _ **I remember that I was small once, tiny, even for my age.**_

 _ **I remember that I was naïve, emotional and vain. A weakling, so unlike what a future Slytherin and heir to the Black family should have been...**_

 _ **My cousins and sister bullied me mercilessly, Cygnus was the worst, he would lock me in a cupboard and leave me there until someone asked where I was. Then he would let me out and tell me that a big, bad werewolf would get me if I told a soul. I believed him, being the stupid boy that I was and shut up.**_

 _ **I hated that cupboard, the scratchy clothes and the mothballs that seemed to be everywhere. But most of all I hated the dark. I feared it with a passion, a terror greater than myself. I would crawl into a corner and cry, until he came back to let me out.**_

 _ **One day, he never came, I don't know it he forgot, or if he just didn't care, the one thing I do know is that I stayed there for hours, hoping he'd return. He never did, in fact, it was my mother that found me, almost a day later.**_

 _ **I can still remember the look of disgust on her face as I ran out to hug her and the ring slap that sent me sprawling on the floor.**_

 _ **She had yelled at me, asking me what I thought I was doing. I was confused at the time, unwilling to believe that for her I was just another loathsome creature that she had to put up with, in order to stay in my father's favour. I had been told, that at my birth she had never bothered to learn my name, calling me 'boy' when we were along and 'my little darling' when we were in public.**_

" _ **Mother..." I had whined, my bottom lip shaking and tears rolling down my round, childish face. I had tried to get up, while she eyed me with as much distaste as a pile of maggots.**_

 _ **She had sighed, asking me why I had been in the cupboard and I... I had told her everything, blubbering about Cygnus and how awfully mean he was.**_

 _ **Then, she had lost it, slapping me again and grabbing my chin with her other hand, forcing me to look into her dark, stone-cold eyes.**_

" _ **You are a Black, you foolish brat!" She had snarled, not even trying to mask her hatred. "The next time that snivelling little boy tries this, you will show him what a true a heir of this noble family can do! You will have more power one day, than a second son like him could wish for, show him, that you know how to use it!"**_

" _ **But... He's stronger than me..." I had told her, trying to keep more tears from falling from my eyes. "An- and I feel so scare-"**_

 _ **Another blow. "Feel?" Her voice was shaking with ill-contained fury. "FEEL! HAS YOUR FATHER TAUGHT YOU NOTHING? Never, ever, allow yourself to feel! Feelings kill!"**_

 _ **With that she stormed out of the room, not noticing the blood trickling down my chin, flowing from the puncture marks her talon-like nails had left in my flesh.**_

 **~0~**

 _ **I remember a train station, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters...**_

 _ **I remember myself, the eleven year old boy who had changed so much in the past years. I remember my mother's fake tears as she kissed me goodbye and I remember my father's whispered words of advice, before he pushed me on the train.**_

" _ **Remember your allies, remember your enemies, keep them both close. Stay away from Mudbloods and Blood-traitors. And stay close to your cousin, Orion! You must show our family's strength!"**_

 _ **I had shuddered at the last remark, but nodded, it had not been my place to question my father and Merlin knows what would have happened if I had...**_

 _ **I remember the sound of hundreds of students, talking and laughing. All of them excited for their new year at Hogwarts to begin!**_

 **~0~**

The eleven year old boy made his way through the throng of children , before reaching a compartment at the far end of the train, secluded from the bickering and squabbling mass of underaged wizards and witches.

He opened the door, a mock smile playing on his pink lips. "Hello cousins!" He nodded at the girl on his left. "Sister, dearest." The girl smiled.

Shaking hands with the boy on his right, he said. "Albert, it's been too long!" He moved away from his oldest cousin and greeted sister, bowing and kissing her hand. "Cousin Walburga! You look stunning!" He cooed, as she let out a giggle.

He stopped infront of the youngest of the three, his fist clenched. "Hello Cygnus." He greeted, extending a hand stiffly to the boy, who was smirking evilly.

"Why so formal, Orion?" Cygnus teased, standing up and hugging the smaller heir, who after a short hesitation mimicked the action grudgingly. " After all, we have always been the best of friends!"

Cygnus sat down and patted the seat beside him. "Come sit down!" He insisted, grinning at Orion.

"As you wish, cousin..." Orion said, forcing a smile and sitting down. He eyed the two older boys, to whom he had nit been introduced, putting on his business-like look and holding out a hand to the oldest of the two. "Abraxas Malfoy, I presume, my sister has told me a lot about you." The boy smirked, shaking his hand with an hard air of self-satisfaction.

Lucretia nodded, smiling at her brother. "I see you have a good memory, brother, now this" She gestured at the handsome boy to her left. "charming gentleman is Tom Riddle, my fellow prefect." She smiled as she received a 'so-this-is-the-boy-we-talked-look' look from her brother.

Riddle nodded at Orion, his brown eyes a little too searching and his expression a little too knowing. Orion returned the gesture, his own expression unreadable, but his eyes wary.

The lunch trolley arrived and his attention was drawn away from the strange boy.

 **~0~**

 _ **I remember the sorting hat being placed on my head. I remember the relief I felt as I was sorted into the 'right' house and the sudden realisation that there was no way back now, not any more... I would have follow the path that my father had laid out for me, right until the last tiny stepping stone.**_

 **~0~**

It was late at night, after the sorting, Orion lay awake in bed, unable to sleep, it was nearly midnight and every minute felt like torture.

There was a rustle of cloth behind him and he turned around, looking into his cousin's perfect blue eyes. "What exactly do you want?" He hissed, his own eyes narrowing in revulsion.

Cygnus smirked and ignoring the question slid under the covers of Orion's bed, pulling the curtains shut. He, much to the older boy's surprise wrapped his arms around him. His intentions were made clear, however, when he whispered "Still afraid of the dark?" in a less than kind tone of voice.

Orion stiffened, but didn't push him away. "Not really..." He lied, feeling more comfortable han he had hoped in his cousin's arms.

"Then why are you still awake?"

Orion sighed. "You know what this all means, don't you? We're the heirs! Your brother is going to get disowned and we will the heirs to the Black family...Doesn't that scare you?"

Cygnus shrugged. "I'm worried about us having to 'show our strength', to be honest..." He trailed off. "Any ideas on how you can stop hating my guts?"

Orion rolled his eyes. "As if that will happen..." He snorted. "I guess, I'll just have to pretend to be cival...What about you?" He asked. "What will you do?"

There was a pause and Cygnus replied. "I've never said I hated you, have I?"

Orion's eyes widened. "Cyg-" His cousin cut hi off. "Go to sleep, little cousin, you have a whole lot of pretending to do tomorrow..."

It wasn't long before Cygnus' breathing became slow and even, his chest rising and falling in a relaxed rhythm. Beside him, Orion lay wide- awake, utterly confused.

 **Author's note:** I hope you liked that and there will be a few more chapters on the way soon!


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